American actor Lance Reddick was born in Baltimore, Maryland. He was inclined towards music during his childhood; his mother was a music teacher, and he trained in classical piano at a young age. He initially studied at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York before deciding to pursue his music career. Realizing that acting could be the starting point—he has acted, after all, in school plays—he entered local stage productions before finally enrolling at Yale University’s drama program. Upon graduation, he became a regular in the Broadway circuit, at one point becoming the understudy for Jeffrey Wright in the acclaimed play Angels in America.
Reddick then took the plunge to acting for the screen, making his debut as a guest player in an episode of the crime drama New York Undercover. After playing small roles in several films, he took a role in the acclaimed prison drama Oz. He joined the cast in 2000 as Johnny Basil, a police detective who worked undercover at Oswald State to bust the drugs trade going on there. His most well-known role came a year later, when he joined the cast of another acclaimed drama, The Wire. He played well-regarded and well-reputed police officer Cedric Daniels throughout the show’s run, from 2002 to 2008.
Also in 2008, Reddick took a recurring role in the J.J. Abrams-led hit series Lost. He played the role of Matthew Abaddon, a ruthless corporate recruiter who employs the so-called “Oceanic Six” back to the island. He then took a major role in the science fiction series Fringe, also co-created by Abrams. He played the role of homeland security agent Phillip Broyles, the testy and risk-taking head of a special government team assembled to look into a series of unnatural phenomena only known as “The Pattern.”